, 1887-08-07

excitement. A Gypsy would quietly walk
around such an animal, speak a few
low assuring words. pat it gently between
the ears, or under the brisket or TANKS,
and, as if by magic, the animal would re-
lax IN every portion of its frame, take a
long breath of relief, and positively give
forth an honest look of thank mlness, in
its recognition of a nature that recognized
Its own. There was no magic about this,
unless there is magic in common sense
and trusttul companionship. Aside from
this sort OF training, which is ceaseless,
the habit OF personal cleanliness is uni
versal among them. No living being is
cleaner than a Gipsy. OF the innumera-
BILE tales of black art cures of man and
beast that are told of these folks, every
one can be traced to the Gipsy'sknowl-
edge of such herbs as purify the blood,
and such cleanliness as will keep it pure.
He has no materia medica for all this.
He simply knows and heeds the mex
orable edict of the nature he adores,
that that which shall live must be clean.
CLEANLINESS AND GOODNESS.
So, too, carrying this wise and sure
principle along to its highest use among
men, whether reasoned upon or not by
the Gypsy, his home government and sur
veillance are ever such that children grow
into virtuous lives and loves. Believe it
or not, Gypsy youths and men regard
their own virtue as of as noble a perfec-
ton In man as is virtue in sweetheart or
wife; and some little idea of the awful
sacredness of that requirement in woman
may be had when the fact is stated that
any Gypsy maiden found, at the marriage
bed, to have been unchaste, is visited with
the most horrible fate that can come to
her in life-utter and endless expatriation;
and more than once the life of such has
been sacrificed with the calm and unvary-
ing approval of her parents and friends,
while such a thing as disloyalty of wife to
husband or husband to wife, after mar
rage, has yet to be recorded of Gypsy on
the European or American continents.
All these plain things about an outcast
race may be shocking to a few over nice
people; but l think, on reflection, it will
occur to the greater number that here is
another thing we of a superior civilization
might with profit seek to find permanent
place for in our blovlant and redundant
sociology.
HoULEHoLD GODS.
While the tent, as typical of the home
shelter, has ~clinging to it specifically a
world of lore, ballad and song, the thing
among the Gipsies embodying the very
essence OF the home belongings, and the
tender love and superstitons attaching to
them, is the kettle stick. | could fill a
book with sayings and superstitions about
it. Where the kettle stick is, there is
the Gypsy hearthside, the inglenook, the
very h~ome-shrine itself. Perhaps best
illustrative of. this was my visit to the
home of a Gypsy friend in Philadelphia
last winter. The husband and boys were
away on a trading tour in the South, and
| found the old mother, a cripple who
could travel but little with her band,
alone. We together cooked a famous
meal at the queer fire. place ofthe ancient,
ramshackle house. All the old belongings
were in that fireplace; but my hostess
used mont of them. She had set the
loved kettle stick in the quaint brick
work, and the fire and all were arranged
and used precisely as upon the road. l
noticed this as a most interesting little
expression of the Gypsy home sentiment,
and, while eating, carelessly inquired:
Mother, why don't you use that
splendid Fireplace with andrions and
crane for cooking2'
Bless hus," she exclaimed, as if
caught in some poor weakness, ''hi's like
in sturdie (~prison) here. Hi less set up
the stick camp-wise like, n wen Hi
bends Ger the fire that-a-way, hits like
/ wus wi my own people 'mong the
tents. The OIL tree'cut yon's great COM
fort betimes, likeaway."
Sure enough, there by the window an
old poplar swayed and rocked and beat its
bare areas against the panes now and
then drearily.
Wen the leaves 8 on, n the fire
crackles Incl the stick, Hi bees in my
cad wi EN- all along the road an
fields she added, as if discovering my
own thought, and telling the truth first.
The human hunger in the human heart
in deprivation of things loved, after all, is
the same the world over.
WEALTHY GIPsIEs.
As rule the social life of the Gipsies
finds its most genial expression in the
larger summer camps and the groups
formed, in winter, IN the cities and vii
lagos. They enjoy quartering in little
communities where families and friends
are accessible to each other. Visiting"
is in great favor with them. When two or
more camps are contiguous, this is kept
up increasingly; in the winter quarters il
is constant; and | have known families
oAN bahbNo NAHNNA " ANC" DlaulllCiSs
Texas, to Pembroke, Maine, more than
2, 500 miles by road, to visit another
band comprising relatives and a few
friends who had but recently landed in
this country from England. Pretty
George" his mother and two sisters, over
there in the handsome wagon nearest the
brook, lives in Ohio and owns several
farms there. Brewer is a land owner in
Southern Indiana. Both these and
their families are visiting Uncle job"
who is very rich and lives in Vermont.
Last year the affair was reversed, and
Uncle Job" with his large family and
splendid wagons traversed thepleasant
roadsides of Ohio; while this camp is
daily visited by scores OF wealthy Gipsies
from Boston. . One family, the Coopers,
the rich horse traders of East Somcrville,
Boston, AVE two fine houses alongside
their stables and the entertainment here
at the camp is returned there in what
would be pretty comfortable style for any
G"HNRTH